Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho says Chelsea is where he’s happiest after ‘The Special One’ returned to English football in 2013.
The Portuguese managed Chelsea between 2004-07 and delivered the Blues their first top-flight domestic title in 50 years in his first season.
However, Mourinho left under a cloud in 2007 after a series of disagreements with owner Roman Abramovich, and went on to win league titles in Italy and Spain, before returning to Stamford Bridge in June 2013.
“At this moment I want to stay at Chelsea as long I can,” he told Sports Illustrated.
“You can never say I’ll be in England forever. I’m 51-years-old, I hope to be a manager for another 15-20 years so I cannot say it will be Chelsea or England forever but I always had in my mind the next step.
“I wanted to do Italy, Spain and England to try to win the leagues in all three big traditional football countries in Europe and after that it was about where I’m happier and I decided that was England.”
The Blues lead champions Manchester City by five points in the race for this season’s Premier League, and Chelsea’s business in the transfer market has been accredited towards their success.
“My project was to sign a contract for four years and to rebuild the team and to put Chelsea in the direction where we can compete again for the major trophies,” he said.
“We didn’t panic, I came here in the first season and we decided we don’t buy just to buy, we don’t buy because we want to win desperately.
“After that it’s easier not to make mistakes, and know if players will or will not improve the squad under our guidance.
“And in the summer we were under great conditions to make the right decisions to try to improve our team.”
Mourinho is often praised for his management style and getting the best out of his players, but the Portuguese explained it’s important to adapt to each player
He added: “To manage a player, is like getting a suit made to measure because everyone is different. It has to be perfect, the personal relationship with the players is very important.
“Of course there is the collective leadership and I have to adapt to the group I have but the suit by measure is the perfect way to try to explain management”
Feature image courtesy of si.com, with thanks
